Dare & desire

Freedom of the female body pervades trailblazing Maithili and Hindi writer Rajkamal Choudhary’s controversial ’60s novel

- FAIZAL KHAN

RAJKAMAL CHOUDHARY CALLED himself a member of the “hungry generation” of writers of the 1960s who questioned the then prevailing political and social values.

A prolific writer in his native Maithili and Hindi, Choudhary died in 1967 when he was only 38, leaving behind a massive body of work ranging from hundreds of short stories to plays, poems, essays and novels. One of his most talked-about works was the Hindi novel, Machhali Mari Hui, which kicked up a storm in literary circles when it was published in the early sixties.

Machhali Mari Hui explored sexuality and freedom of expression of the body. The novel evoked instant rebuke and controversy. The work, which literary scholars today term as “daring” and “experimental”, dealt with the private lives of individuals who were merely carrying on with their choice and expression. More than half-a-century later,

Machhali Mari Hui is now available in English translation, making it accessible to readers at home and abroad.